Pneumatic space capsule



17, 1967 J. W. RYAN ETAL PNEUMATC SPACE CAPSULE Filed Nov. 14, 1966 United States Patent O 3,346,989 PNEUMATIC SPACE CAPSULE John W. Ryan, Bel Air, Cecil F. Adickes, Jr., Woodland Hills, and .lacob De Gelder, Torrance, Calif., assignors to Mattel, Inc., Hawthorne, Calif., a corporation of Caiifornia Filed Nov. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 594,176 Claims. (Cl. 46-44) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rigid hollow casing having two hinged halves with opposed notches in their edges so that a doll may be placed in the casing with its legs extending through the openings defined by the notches when the casing is closed. A pair of flexible, hollow, resilient arm members extending from the casing and communicating with a bladder chamber in the casing, and pump means connected to the bladder chamber to apply air pressure in the arm members to cause them to change shape or position.

The present invention relates to a new and useful pneumatic space capsule toy and more particularly to such a toy in combination with a doll simulating an astronaut in a space suit.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a new and useful pneumatic space capsule toy.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a toy including a housing means which simulates a space capsule and which has hollow, simulated, spacesuited arms connected thereto and to air supply means for admitting air under pressure to the arms for changing the shape thereof.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a toy of the type described which may be quickly and easily mounted on a doll by engaging apertures provided in the bottom wall of the toy around the legs of the doll.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a simulated space capsule toy which includes simulated, space-suited arms in the form of inflatable bellows which are formed with a preset shape simulating human arms bent at the elbows and which are inflatable to an extended position by air under pressure which is supplied to the simulated arms through a pump and conduit means connected to the space capsule toy.

According to the present invention, a pneumatic space capsule toy is provided in combination with a doll having a head, a torso, a pair of arms and a pair, of legs. Each of the legs includes an upper portion and a lower portion.

The toy includes a housing means having an encompassing side wall and a bottom wall. The bottom wall is provided with a pair of apertures for receiving each of the dolls legs to connect the housing means to the doll in such a manner that the upper portions of the legs, the torso, the arms and the head are housed in the housing means while the lower portions of the legs extend below the bottom wall outside of the housing means. The dolls arms may be folded down along the torso out of sight when the doll is inside the housing means.

A pair of hollow, simulated arms are connected to the side wall. Each simulated arm is made out of a bellowstype diaphragm having a preset shape simulating human arms bent at the elbows. The accordion pleated structure of the arms simulates an astronauts space suit. Each simulated arm has a rst end which is closed by a simulated human hand and a second, open end which is connected to the housing means in fluid communication 3,346,989 Patented Oct. 17, 1967 with a bladder forming an air chamber in the housing means. An air pump is connected to this chamber through a suitable flexible conduit means so that the arms may be actuated from a remote location. When air under pressure is supplied to the arms from the pump, the arms extend to an open position where they are straight.

The doll may be provided with feet in which permanent magnets are embedded for connecting the doll to a magnetizable, simulated space sled. The sled has a cord attached thereto for pulling it over a suitable surface with the doll and pneumatic space capsule combination in position thereon.

The space capsule toy may be provided with windows at its upper end through which the dolls head is visible when the doll is in position inside the housing means.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to like elements in the several views.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a pneumatic space capsule toy of the present invention showing the space capsule portion thereof in an open position;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, elevational View of the toy of FIG. l

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional View taken along line 3 3 of FIG. 2;

FIGURE 4 is a partial, cross-sectional view taken along line 4 4 of FIG. 2; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view taken along line 5-S of FIG. 3.

Referring again to the drawings, a pneumatic space capsule toy, generally designated 10, includes a space man doll 12, a housing means 14 and a simulated space sled 16.

The doll 12 includes a head 18, a torso 20, a pair of arms 22, 24 and a pair of legs 26, 28. The legs 26, 28 each includes an upper portion 30 and a lower portion 32. Each lower portion 32 is provided with a simulated boot 34 in which a permanent magnet 36 is embedded for adhering the doll 12 to the sled 16, which may be made from a magnetizable material. The sled 16 may be pulled over a suitable surface 38 (FIG. l) by a cord 40 which is attached to the sled 16, as shown in FIG. 2. The doll 12 may be of a pliable type which is maintained in bent positions by an armature means 42 having a soft wire core 44 and a rigid portion 46.

The housing means 14 includes a front housing half 48 and a rear housing half 50 which are joined together by hinge means 52 including a hinge pin 54. The housing halves 48 and 50 may be opened to the position shown in FIG. 1 for placing the housing means 14 on the doll 12 in such a manner that the head 18 is disposed within the upper portion 56 of the housing means 14 and the lower portions 32 of the legs 26, 28 extend below a bottom wall 58 through aperture means 60 provided therein. The bottom wall 58 includes a first semicircular wall half 62 which closes the lower end 64 of the housing half 50. A second semi-circular bottom wall half 66 closes the lower end 68 of the housing half 48 and is provided with aperture means 70 which match the aperture means 60.

The upper portion 56 includes a domed top portion 72 which is connected to an intermediate portion 74 of the housing means 14 by a plurality of simulated window panes 76 for exposing the doll head 18 to View. A pair of simulated hooks 78 are affixed to the top 72, together with a simulated lamp 80.

When the front housing half 48 and the rear `housing half 50 are closed, as shown in FIG. 3, an encompassing side wall 82 is formed for enclosing the upper leg portions 30, the torso 20 the dolls arms 22, 24 and the head 18 in the housing means 14. A pair of hollow, simulated clothing means or space-suited arms 84, 86 have open ends 88 affixed to the side wall 82 in uid communication with an air chamber 89 formed inside the front housing half 48 by a exible bladder 90 and the side wall 82. The arms 84, 86 each include a closed end 92 formed by a mittened hand-and-wrist simulating member 94. The arms 84, 86 each includes an upper arm portion 96 which is preferably molded `in the shape of a bellows-type diaphragm having accordion pleats 98 which are preset in such a manner that the arms 84, 86 are bent inwardly toward each other bringing the ends 92 together. When air under pressure is supplied to the arms 84, 86 through the air chamber 89, the arms 84, 86 will be extended to the broken line position shown in FIG. 3. Air under pressure may be supplied to the chamber 89 by an air pump 100 which is connected to the chamber 89 by a llexible conduit 102 which, in turn, may be of sucient length to operate `the arms 84, 86 from a remote location by actuating the pump 100. The pump 100 includes a hand `grip 104 which may be grasped by a user of the toy for actuating the pump 100.

The front housing half 48 is provided with an air inlet 106 communicating with the` air chamber 89` and receivingy the end 108 of conduit 102. The other end 110 of conduit 102 is connected to the discharge end 112 of the pump 100. A simulated pressurizing valve 114 and a simulated lamp 116 are provided on the front housing half 48 together with simulated inspection ports 118. Another simulated inspection port 120 'is also provided on the front housing half 48 on the top portion 72.

While the particular pneumatic space capsule toy herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown other than as dened in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A pneumatic capsule toy for a doll having a head and a body, said capsule toy comprising:

substantially rigid housing means for encompassing at least a part of said doll;

hollow, eXible means extending outwardly from within said housing means, said exible means having a normal relaxed shape and being affected by airunder pressure therein to change to an inilated shape; and

air supply means in uid communication with the inner ends of said flexible means within said housing for admitting air under pressure only thereto for changing the shape thereof.

2. A capsule as stated in claim 1 including a simulated space sled for supporting said doll, said sled including a body portion and a cord connected to said body portion for pulling said toy over a suitable surface, said sled being made from a magnetizable material for magnetically attracting said doll.

3. A capsule as stated in claim 1 including window means provided in the upper end of said housing means, said head being visible through said window means when said housing means is connected to said doll.

4. A capsule as stated in claim 2 wherein said doll includes a pair of legs, a foot connected to each leg and a magnet embedded in each foot for adhering said doll to said sled by magnetic attraction.

5. A capsule as stated in claim 1 wherein said housing means includes a front housing half and a rear housing half and hinge means connecting said housing halves together, said exible means extending from one of said housing halves.

6. A capsule as stated in claim 1 wherein said clothing means comprises a pairof accordion pleated bellows each having a normally-bent preset for simulating spacesuited arms bent at the elbows, said air under pressure extending said bellows to a substantially straight position.

7. A capsule as stated in claim 6 wherein said air-` supply means comprises an air pump and conduit means Connecting said air pump to said arms.

8. A capsule as stated in claim 6 wherein said airsupply means includes bladder means mounted in said housing means in uid communication with` said arms, conduit means in uid communication with said bladder and air pump means in duid communication with said conduit means.

9. A capsule as stated in claim 6 wherein said doll includes a pair of legs, each of said legs having an upper portion and a lower portion and wherein said housing means includes a bottom wall, said` bottom wall being provided with aperture means for receiving said legs to connect said housing means to said doll in such a manner that said upper portions of said legs, said body and said head are housed in said housing means while said lower portions of said legs extend from said bottom wall outside of said housing means.

10. A capsule as stated in claim 9 wherein said airsupply means includes bladder means mounted in said housing means in uid communication with said arms, conduit means in iluid communication with said bladder and air pump meansl in fluid communication with said conduit means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,288,798 7/ 1942 Fleming 46-151 2,348,250 5/1944 Gardner 46-87 2,424,538 7/ 1947 Beder 46-151 2,767,517 10/ 1956 Hooper 46--241 ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

T. ZACK, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A PNEUMATIC CAPSULE TOY FOR A DOLL HAVING A HEAD AND A BODY, SAID CAPSULE TOY COMPRISING: SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID HOUSING MEANS FOR ENCOMPASSING AT LEAST A PART OF SAID DOLL; HOLLOW, FLEXIBLE MEANS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM WITHIN SAID HOUSING MEANS, SAID FLEXIBLE MEANS HAVING A NORMAL RELAXED SHAPE AND BEING AFFECTED BY AIR UNDER PRESSURE THEREIN TO CHANGE TO AN INFLATED SHAPE; AND AIR SUPPLY MEANS IN FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH THE INNER ENDS OF SAID FLEXIBLE MEANS WITHIN SAID HOUSING FOR ADMITTING AIR UNDER PRESSURE ONLY THERETO FOR CHANGING THE SHAPE THEREOF. 